Brett Rogers eyes return to the top with Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix

http://mmajunkie.comBrett Rogers has seen the top of the Strikeforce heavyweight division, and now he’s fighting to get back there.

But this time around, he has a different attitude about his climb. This time, he’s trying to have fun on the way.

Rogers (11-2 MMA, 2-2 SF) has a chance to crest above some pretty big names who, like him, want the title of best in the world by winning the promotion’s heavyweight grand prix, which scheduled to kick off Feb. 12 at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J.

“I definitely want to go out there and bring the old me,” he told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “Just put out the heaters and knock some people out.”

He failed to reach the top before. He was too caught up in the what-ifs that accompany a lesser experienced fighter to the cage, the doubts that creep into opportunities, and the pressure that stifles skills. Consequently, he lost two straight fights this past year to then top-ranked Fedor Emelianenko and champion Alistair Overeem. All of the sudden, he was just another fighter after a 22-second knockout of former champion Andrei Arlovski put him on the list of future stars.

Then again, he did face two of the world’s best fighters. Their resumes dwarfed his. But Rogers still felt like he could have shown more.

With no bookings on the horizon after his loss to Overeem, he took a fight in Canada against Ruben “Warpath” Villareal, a fighter used almost exclusively to build others’ resumes. If he didn’t win, he planned to take a hard look at his chosen field. Also, he needed the money.

“Going to fight ‘Warpath,’ I needed some assurance that this is the direction I want to be in,” he said. “I felt like I needed to go back to the basics and start from the beginning and figure myself out.”

He won an unspectacular decision over Villareal, but he got a little confidence in his pocket. Then, he got the chance of a lifetime – a spot in the eight-man tournament that could give him the opportunity to avenge at least one of his high-profile losses and possibly come out as arguably the best heavyweight in the world.

Josh Barnett (26-5 MMA, 0-0 SF) stands in the way of that goal. The two are expected to meet in the second quarterfinal event of the tournament expected for late March or early April. Once again, Rogers faces a steep challenge. Barnett has more than twice the number of fights he does and has competed at the highest levels of the sport for a very long time.

But now that his path is set, Rogers is wiser about what he needs to do to buck the odds. Prior to his setbacks, he was knocking people out left and right. It used to be fun. Could it be again?

There is only one way to find out: use the tool that got him to the top in the first place.

“I just need to show more and just gain that confidence with my right hand again,” he said. “I feel I haven’t been throwing it out there as much, so that’s all I’ve been throwing.”

He plans to move away from his family in Minnesota for a training camp in either Las Vegas or California. Barnett needs his full focus he said.

“It could be a one-rounder or it could go the distance,” Rogers said. “I’m definitely going to be prepared. The way I see it, the tournament starts in February, and I’m probably going to [fight] at a later date. So that gives me plenty of time to get my conditioning right. Barnett is no amateur fighter. He knows his way around the cage.”

Rogers is confident he’ll be able to showcase his full range of skills going back up the mountain. He’s no longer an amateur, as well.

“I feel like I’m a little more focused, and I’m not trying to think as much,” he said. “Before I was so into winning instead of just having fun. And this year, that’s all I plan on doing. If anything, just have fun, and the best things will happen.”

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